Researchers have long used hydrology 鈥 the science of water 鈥 to better understand everything from floods and droughts to watershed health and water security. Assistant Professor Adeyemi Olusola has contributed to a new international study that examines how colonial histories continue to shape the field and explores what a more inclusive approach to water science might look like.
As societies increasingly rely on hydrology to help address challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, environmental degradation and growing demands on water resources, ensuring the field draws on diverse knowledge systems and perspectives has become an increasingly important conversation.
Understanding complex water challenges, some scholars argue, requires not only strong scientific expertise but also careful consideration of whose knowledge informs decision-making and whose perspectives may be missing.
Among those contributing to that discussion is Olusola who teaches in the and whose work focuses on water resources and the complex relationship between environmental systems and society.
Olusola was part of an international team whose study, , explores what researchers call 鈥渄ecolonising hydrology.鈥
The project emerged from an International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) working group focused on decolonization and hydrology, formed under the organization鈥檚 HELPING initiative, which encourages hydrologists to engage more closely with local communities and knowledge systems.
Olusola and his co-authors say that while decolonization has become an important topic across many academic disciplines, relatively little attention has been paid to how colonial legacies continue to shape hydrology specifically.
Much of modern water science, they argue, developed alongside colonial systems of governance and resource management. The effects of those systems remain visible today in both water infrastructure and decisions about whose knowledge is considered legitimate in water-management planning.
Seeking to better understand those influences, the research team launched the study while also exploring how researchers and practitioners might address them.
鈥淒ecolonizing hydrology matters both as a discipline and as a practice,鈥 says Olusola. 鈥淚t challenges the colonial legacies embedded in how hydrological knowledge has historically been produced and applied, and it makes the case that decolonization is necessary to achieve justice, inclusivity, and sustainability in water management.鈥
The team conducted a review of scholarship exploring the intersection of hydrology and decolonization, analyzed trends in water research over time and examined case studies from different regions of the world.
As part of their work, the researchers analyzed more than 77,000 articles published in leading hydrology and water-resources journals between the 1940s and 2023 and reviewed literature addressing decolonial approaches to water science. They also developed case studies focused on Canada, India, West Africa, Indonesia and West Asia.
Examining those regions allowed the team to explore how colonial histories have influenced water laws, infrastructure, governance systems and educational practices. In some cases, the researchers found colonial-era water systems and management practices continue to influence how water is governed today. Olusola notes that in parts of the Global South, some historical approaches to hydrological monitoring, record-keeping and data collection were more sophisticated than many cities have been able to maintain since, illustrating the complex and sometimes contradictory legacies left behind by colonial rule.
鈥淎cross our case studies, we found colonial imprints on hydrology and hydraulic infrastructure that were strikingly similar in some respects, yet shaped by distinct local histories in others,鈥 he says.
The effects were not limited to infrastructure. In some regions, colonial-era water-management systems contributed to unequal access to resources, environmental disruption and governance structures that advantaged some groups while disadvantaging others.
Nonetheless, the study points towards change, noting the field is increasingly engaging with questions of sustainability, decision-making and the human dimensions of water management, creating opportunities for more inclusive and collaborative approaches.
Olusola says he and his co-authors hope the study will contribute to that shift.
鈥淭he work reframes the field, shifting away from a colonial hydrological hegemony toward pathways where reflective questioning and structured decision-making can guide how future water knowledge is generated and how it supports local water management,鈥 he says.